The Nutcracker
by Kirkysaurus
Summary: This is not how Zelda Harkinian's Winter Break was supposed to go. "I was supposed to be at my Grandfather's with my little brother, not traveling to a magical world through a mouse hole with a Nutcracker to fight some evil Gerudo King."
1. A Gift from Grandfather

**A/N: Oh look, another new story!**

**This won't be a focus right now, though. I'm trying to rewrite previous stories, and also get unblocked for OD and Mermaid Tails, so this will only be worked on when I have more free time. I already have three chapters complete, though! Hawk wanted to wait to post this until later, but I begged him to let be since it's the last triple date we'll ever have!**

**Hawk: He moaned until I consented.**

**This is why you're my best friend, you let me get what I want!**

**Hawk: True... In some cases, at least...**

**Yeah, the other reasons are because you're awesome. BUT ANYWAY, We've had this idea since... September 3rd? Wow... That's a long time. But yeah, this is my Christmas fic! Which doesn't really deal with Christmas... Only this first chapter so far has references to the holidays. So without further adieu - because we have to get back to work on other stuff - we give yo- Wait, what did we decide the title would be?**

**Hawk: I think it was just 'The Nutcracker'.**

**Oh, right. SO WITHOUT FURTHER COMPLICATIONS, we give you 'The Nutcracker'!**

**Don't shoot me.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: We do not own the gaming franchise 'The Legend of Zelda'. We also do not own the story of 'The Nutcracker and The Mouse King'. We do own our original ideas, the layout of the plot, and anything else unrecognizable. All recognizable material belonging to a third-party source belongs to it's rightful owners.**

* * *

▲Δ - Act I - Δ▲

_.; oo1 - A Gift from Grandfather - oo1 ;._

* * *

"There's the final bell. Get out of my classroom, you ingrates."

There was a loud release of cheer as the final class for the school day had finally gone off. Shad took a long sigh as he shuffled his way back over to his desk, watching as most of his students ran out of his classroom, while a few others took their time to leave. His blue eyes glanced over the desks until they fell on the figure of one student still seated, the majority her honey-blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, while she had two sections of it draped over either shoulder. He never understood why she kept her hair like that, but he didn't really care - Zelda Harkinian was probably his best and favorite student in all of his years as a teacher. She could shave her head bald and dye the remaining hairs green and he'd not question her motives.

Speaking of green...

"MIDO," he shouted out to the class suddenly, causing all of the students to jump as he narrowed his eyes on the red-headed youth who was sliding a green, tweed cap onto his head. "You are still in a classroom, regardless if the lesson or day has completed. You will refrain from putting on your cap until you are OUTSIDE, understand?"

He was met with a grumble from Mido while the rest of the class laughed at the ginger-haired boy before the last few students filed out of the class. Zelda was the last one to leave, stopping by Shad's desk where she placed a book titled 'Harvest Festival of Termina' on his desk and shot him a large smile.

"I remembered to return all of the books I borrowed before leaving for break! This time, at least!" She shot excitedly, sending her and Shad into a small fit of giggles before she turned to leave. "Have a nice Holiday, professor." she said over her shoulder before making her way out of the front door to the high school and heading to the student parking lot. There she began to make her way over to a familiar, cream-colored car, where another girl was standing outside of it.

"Ready to go, Zellie?" She nodded quickly in response to the question her friend, Cremia, had asked and hopped into the passenger's seat of the girl's car. After a short while of getting their seatbelts on and starting the engine, the two seventeen-year-old girls were on their way away from school grounds.

"Are we heading to the ranch first?" Zelda questioned the redhead when they got to a red light, and she shook her head in response to the question before responding. "Nope, we gotta get you home to finish packing for your gramps' place in Clock Town."

"Hey, I'm packed!" The blonde defended, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest as Cremia broke out into a fit, reaching her right hand away from the wheel to flick on the radio. When the light turned green she continued driving, moving the same hand up to mess with her red curls before shooting Zelda a quick glance. "You probably didn't pack anything boy-worthy."

"I didn't plan on meeting boys while trying to spend time with my grandfather," she retorted, shooting her slightly older friend a glare before they fell back into a silence, both girls singing along softly with the radio. Another fifteen minutes and they had pulled into the driveway of Zelda's parents' house, both girls running out of the car to head inside as Zelda called out into the house, "Dad, I'm home!"

"In here," they headed into the living room at the sound of the voice, finding the older Harkinian trying to jam a blue suitcase shut. "Just finishing to help your brother pack," he grunted, pushing hard onto the suitcase while a little nine-year-old boy was sitting on it to help keep it down. "Daltus what did you pack, every game system you own?"

"Just about," the sandy-haired boy teased, shooting a wide grin over to his older sister who laughed at his antics before moving over to catch her father's attention. "Cremia and I are gonna head upstairs and finish my own packing. She doesn't trust my sense of 'style'," she used air-quotes around the last word before being snatched and dragged up to her room. "I don't! Honestly Mr. H, you should go back to shopping with Zellie for clothes." Was the last thing both Harkinian men heard before the sound of a door being closed and Pop music filling the upstairs space.

"Alright buddy, let's try this again!"

* * *

"Do you have your cell phone?"

"Yes mom," Zelda recited, pulling the item in question out of the side pocket of her backpack to show the older woman before putting it back.

"Wallet?"

Mm-hmm," she pulled the fuzzy pink thing out of the purse hanging off of her other shoulder, opening it to show her mother everything inside. The older Harkinian pulled out the girl's school ID, driver's license, debit card and emergency credit card out and nodded her approval before putting everything back in its right spot. Zelda took her wallet and slid it back into her purse before hooking an arm around her mother in a tight hug. "Don't worry, we won't get into any trouble at Grandpa's."

"You I'm sure about, your brother however..." she trailed off, both women turning their heads to see Daltus making faces at another boy his age from the train window. She let out a sigh as Zelda giggled before giving her daughter a kiss on the cheek and waving her off as she ran over and climbed onto the train. The engineer spoke over the loudspeaker that they would depart soon shortly afterwards, so Zelda quickly made her way down the train cart. Finding her seat next to her little brother, she stored her suitcase in the overhang above before sitting her backpack and purse in the space between Her's and Daltus' seats. After getting situated she turned with Daltus to wave out the window to their parents as the train began to come alive. They both waved back and continued doing so as the train began to drive off, until both Zelda and Daltus were out of sight. After a while Zelda took out her phone and texted Cremia a quick 'the train just left', while Daltus took out one of his hand-held games to play for a while.

"Are you excited to see grandpa?" Zelda turned to look at her brother while she asked, to which the nine-year-old simply shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, I talk to him almost everyday. It's not gonna be that different. But yeah, seeing him in-person after so long is gonna be cool."

She nodded softly before sliding her phone back into her purse, shifting herself around into a more comfortable position. "I'm excited. It's been so long since we've been to Clock Town," She continued, pulling a book out of her backpack to begin reading. "Do you think Owlan still lives next door to him? His cookies are wonderful."

"I hope so, he has that cool pet!" Daltus looked up at his sister with a wide grin as they began going into memories from when they were a few years younger and had met Owlan's pet. The white-haired man had told them how it was something called a 'Kikwi' - part fauna and mammal all in one. It fascinated him to no end, seeing as he made work out of studying all plant life. The pair remember how they had found it interesting that when startled, the creature would fall forward and the 'tail' on its back opened up into a small bush to camouflage it. They giggled about that for a few minutes before going into a few more fond memories of the creature, as well as their grandfather and neighbor Owlan.

"I wonder if he got any other cool stuff since last time," Daltus yawned out after a while, turning his body so that he could lean his head on his sister's shoulder as she began to read her book. She made a 'hmm' of interest as the nine-year-old began drifting off to sleep, with the comforting background sounds suitable ambiance for the rest of the five-hour trip.

* * *

'We'd like to welcome all of our passengers to Clock Town Terminal Station. Please enjoy your stay.'

Zelda was slowly guiding a half-asleep Daltus down from the train, his bag over her shoulder while hers was wheeling behind them as they quickly headed inside to avoid the cold. Once inside, Daltus made his way into an empty seat to rest while Zelda turned around to check their things and make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

"Buggy!" Zelda looked over her shoulder from the suitcases lined by her feet to see Daltus running towards and elderly man, jumping into his arms in a tight hug. She giggled to herself and collected her and her brother's bags before making her way over to the embracing pair. "Hi, grandpa."

"Zellie my flower!" He exclaimed, pulling away from Daltus long enough to give the teenager a quick, tight hug. "My how you've grown in only a few years," He chuckled out heartily, placing a large hand on the girl's shoulder.

"How have you been?" She engaged him in small talk as Owlan, who had accompanied her grandfather to the terminal, came over and collected her bags while Daltus grabbed his own. They continued with idle chatter as the group of four began to make their way outside, Daltus quickly getting into conversation with Owlan on his Kikwi, Oolo.

"My, my," Gaepora began, wiping a small tear from his eye with his index finger. "It's hard to believe that my little Zellie is already a Junior in High School." He teased lightly, climbing into the backseat of Owlan's car while Daltus grabbed the passenger's seat.

"It's hard to believe my grandfather is getting so chubby," She teased back, climbing into the backseat next to him as she poked his stomach. "I blame Owlan's cookies."

This set the entire group into a fit of laughter as they began driving down the streets of Clock Town, making their way back to Gaepora's house.

"Do you still live in South Clock Town?" Zelda inquired, craning her neck to look out of the window at the scenery outside. It very much looked like South Clock Town, but she couldn't see the Clocktower and wasn't entirely sure. He didn't reply for a few minutes until they were further into town, where he called her attention to his window where she and Daltus could both see the Clocktower clearly now.

"It looks so beautiful in the snow," she commented, staring in awe at how the snowfall gave the old Clock an enchanted look. He hummed in agreement at her statement before placing one of his large hands onto her head. "Do not worry my dear, you will get to play in the snow during your stay."

"I'm not a little girl anymore," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest with a mock expression of hurt, but that quickly faded once they pulled up into the driveway of Gaepora's home. She hurried out and helped Owlan gather her and Daltus' bags while Gaepora went to unlock the front door before the others slowly made their way inside.

"Oh, you're home." A brown-haired man who looked like a much younger version of Owlan called from the living room, rising from the couch to greet them. He was holding an odd creature in his hands, something reminiscent of a bat, cat, and mouse - all rolled into one. "I assume this lovely young lady is Zelda, and this strapping young hero-to-be is Daltus."

"Hey, what's that?" Daltus commented, pointing at the creature in the man's arms. He let out a soft chuckle before holding it gently out to show the pair. "This is your grandfather's pet Remlit, Mia. I enjoy taking care of her when he's out."

"She looks weird," He continued, earning a chuckle from Gaepora and Owlan while the brunette pouted, hugging Mia to his chest. Owlan moved over to the brown-haired man, draping his arm over his shoulder before guiding him back into the living room. "Don't be upset, Horwell. He is sort of right."

Zelda giggled softly as she and Daltus took their things upstairs, leaving them in the spare rooms they had always used as children when they stayed in Clock Town with Gaepora. After discarding her coat and hat, the seventeen-year-old made her way downstairs where she found Daltus staring over their grandfather's shoulder as he worked at his desk in the living room. To her left was his recliner, and the right was the couch where Owlan and Horwell were cuddling. Her eyes were immediately drawn to Mia, who was sitting in Horwell's lap and staring at her. She giggled softly before moving over to gently pet the Remlit's head, her violet gaze moving over to the tree situated on the opposite wall in the corner.

"You haven't decorated your tree for Giving Day yet, grandpa?" Zelda inquired, pulling her grandfather's attention away from his desk to stare up at the plain-looking tree. "Normally at the first snowfall you go crazy with decorating."

"Not yet, dear. I was hoping you and your brother would want to partake," he smiled when Daltus began jumping up and down excitedly, shouting out how he'd be glad to help. She giggled again at this before moving over to the box of ornaments and decorations, turning back to look at the others.

"Well, let's get started!"

* * *

A few hours had passed since the group of five had finished the tree. Owlan and Horwell bid Gaepora, Zelda, and Daltus all good night as they left to go back next door, while Daltus ran upstairs to shower and change into his pajamas. After he had finished Zelda had gone, and now the young girl was sitting on the couch, playing with the hem of her oversized nightshirt while her brother was leaning his head on her shoulder. She smiled softly when her gaze ran over the tree, taking in it's appearance. Her grandfather and brother had hung up the ornaments to represent thanks to the Goddess Din, while she had put up those for the Goddess Nayru. Owlan and Horwell had added those for the Goddess Farore, before adding personal trinkets and items to hang there as well. Zelda's gaze shifted to the Hylian Shield ornament her parents had bought for Daltus' first Giving Day, and then over to the purple and blue crystal they had gotten for her. Her gaze shifted to the owl her grandfather had owned since before she was born, and then lastly to the circlet at the top her grandmother had made.

Grandmother...

"Grandpa," the honey-blonde girl started, shifting her eyes over to look at the older man sitting his his recliner. He made a 'hmm' of acknowledgement before turning to meet her gaze. "Can you tell me another story about grandma?"

"Of course my darling," He responded with a chuckle, his gaze moving to the circlet as well before back down to Zelda. "The one where she made that?"

She nodded softly before shifting her position to look at Gaepora, waiting patiently as he began. "Well, the original circlet we had was damaged when we moved down to Clock Town, and your grandmother was heartbroken." He began, a small smile coming to his face as his gaze shifted to the picture of he and his wife above the mantle. "So being the persistent little bug she was, she decided to craft her own."

Zela smiled before turning her attention to the item gently placed atop the tree. The front had the three gems - a ruby, emerald, and sapphire - arranged into a triangular shape, while there were Goddess Plumes broken into smaller pieces to line the silver, and small, dangling gems falling all around it. Her smile softened as she remembered all those years ago when her grandmother, Tetra, had told her the old stories about the Three Golden Goddesses, Hylia's Battle with the demon, Demise, and the different heroes of legend protecting the land. Her hand raised absentmindedly to twist one of the locks of hair she kept over her shoulders as she stared at the tree. Her gaze then shifted over to the two wrapped presents on the table besides it.

"Grandpa, who are those for?" She questioned, raising her free hand to point at the packages. He let out an earthy laugh, startling the half-asleep Daltus before responding. "An early Giving Day present for each of my grandchildren. You may open them now, if you'd like."

"Woo-hoo!" The sandy-haired nine-year-old exclaimed, jumping up fro the couch to grab the present in green and blue wrapping paper. Zelda let out a soft sigh as she got up from the couch as well, grabbing the box of pink and purple. Daltus was ripping his box open like it contained the essence of life, while she gently tore the wrapping apart. When she finally got halfway down, her eyebrows rose slightly as she pulled the toy out from inside. "What is this?"

"It's a nutcracker, Zelda." Gaepora began, standing from his chair and making his way over to her to softly pat the top of the little blonde toy's hat-covered head. "It's said to be crafted in the image of the ancient Heroes of Hyrule." He smiled softly, running his thumb over the area of his green tunic. "I thought you'd enjoy this, as you love the legends and stories your grandmother and I have taught you over the years."

"It's wonderful," she smiled softly, getting up from the couch to give her grandfather a tight hug. "And I do love it. Thanks, grandpa."

His face broke out into a soft smile before his and his granddaughter's embrace ended, the seventeen-year-old going back to sit on the couch as she looked over every detail of the miniature man. Daltus hopped up next to his sister and craned his neck to look at the nutcracker as well, his eyebrows furrowing. "My train is awesomer," he bragged, shooting Zelda a toothy grin as he held the toy out to show her. "It looks just like the Spirit Train from one of those legends."

"Whatever you say," she mumbled softly, too caught up in the detail of work done on the Nutcracker to pay any attention to anything else. Gaepora let out a hearty chuckle as he sat back and watched Zelda inspect the wooden man, her eyes alight with intrigue as her thumbs ran over each detail of his form.

"Hey, let me crack a walnut with it," Daltus broke out, grabbing the nutcracker swiftly and slipping one of the walnuts from the end table into his mouth. "Be careful Daltus, I don't want it to-"

Crack.

Both Zelda and Daltus stared down with wide eyes when the Nutcracker's jaw fell off from his body and landed on the couch between them. The walnut rolled down onto the floor and over to the coffee table's leg while Zelda gently reached over to take the broken toy. "Zelda I'm so sorry..."

"Don't bother, it's not your fault." She began softly, turning the wooden man over to check the inside of his mouth, where she quickly noticed a rusty screw was broken. "I could tell this thing was obviously old, but not so much that the screws would be rusted," She mused, placing a hand to her cheek as she went over ideas in her head on how to fix him. Daltus reached between the two and grabbed the jaw from the couch, holding it up to his sister.

"Grandpa can probably fix it... right?" He looked up expectantly at Gaepora, who hand a hand to his chin in thought.

"I'm sure I can, so long as I have screws small enough to fit it."

So Daltus and Gaepora went upstairs to dig through the older man's work supplies while Zelda began to undo the old screw from the wooden man's jaw, smiling down at him softly. "Don't worry, we'll fix you so you're as good as new. Then maybe you can crack a few nuts without busting one of your own," She teased it, giggling softly at her terrible joke as she laid him down onto her grandfather's work desk. Gaepora and Daltus returned to the living room not too long after, having found the needed items to fix the toy before Gaepora sat at his bench and began to work.

* * *

After Gaepora had repaired the Nutcracker's jaw, Daltus had insisted Zelda bandage it to make sure it didn't come loose, scared something might knock the glue loose before it could dry. She had complied, and now her brother and grandfather were up in their rooms asleep, while she lay on the couch watching a cartoon. Her left hand hung off of the side of the couch, where her fingers gently brushed back and forth over the Nutcracker's head. After a while her eyelids began to droop, and the gentle sway of her hand began to slow until her eyes shut and she was asleep.

_Clunk, clunk._

'... What was...'

_Thump thump thump._

"Where..." Zelda let out a soft yawn, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before her gaze shifted to the digital clock of the cable box above the TV. 'Twelve twenty-four,' she read softly in her head, letting out another yawn before swinging her feet off of the couch to land on the floor. She bent her hand down to grab the Nutcracker and head to bed, only for her fingers to meet the hardwood of the living room floor.

"What in the-" The seventeen-year-old got up off of the couch and kneeled next to it, craning her head down to peer underneath to see if the miniature man had rolled underneath it. There was nothing down there; save for a ball of yarn, a hairbrush, and a group of little warriors running out of a mouse hole.

Wait a second.

"... What in Din's name is going on here? Am I dreaming?" She questioned, her head snapping up at the sound of metal hitting against something. She looked over to see another warrior, this one slightly larger than the rest, trying to hit the Nutcracker with a sword. While he was running from it. Over to the tree. The nutcracker. Running from a tiny warrior in black armor.

"... I've finally lost my mind," Zelda muttered softly, getting up to her feet and making her way over to swat at the little warrior. "Hey, dream-thing. Shoo."

"No! Get away from him!" Her gaze shifted up to see the Nutcracker waving her to move out of the way while hanging off of the tree. She was about to question it when the tiny warrior-thing yelled out something in a strange language and shot a blast of dark-purple energy at her. Her breath got caught in her throat, her body became heavy, and she rolled backwards from the strange attack as the Nutcracker jumped down and ran to her. The entire room was spinning in Zelda's line of sight, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on the ground and looking up at a very, very large version of her grandfather's living room.

"What the..." She let out a soft groan as she sat up, putting a hand to her now throbbing head as she looked over the area. She saw the warrior staring down at her, letting out a low chuckle before he rushed over with his sword raised.

"Stop!" The nutcracker was standing in between her and the mysterious man now, using what looked like Daltus' Hylian Shield ornament to block the attack. It resonated with a faint, blue glow before pushing the man back, to which he growled before he and the other warriors retreated... under the couch?

"... Okay, what in the Goddesses' names is going on here?!" Zelda shouted, shooting an icy glare up at the Nutcracker who was a few inches away from her. His face broke out into a grin - as much as it could, being carved from wood and all - before a nervous chuckle escaped and he moved his left hand behind his head to rub his neck. "Uh... pass?"

"I think I can answer that," an old voice echoed throughout the room, both Zelda and the Nutcracker's eyes shooting up to see her grandfather's owl ornament staring down at them from the tree. It stretched it's copper wings out before jumping from it's spot and flying down towards them, landing on the Nutcracker's head. "The Gerudo King had just launched an attack on you both."

"The... Gerudo King? You mean like... from the stories?" Zelda questioned, getting up to her feet before crossing her arms over her chest to stare at the owl. "Because the Gerudo don't fall under rule of a 'king' anymore, seeing as that whole 'curse' where a male is only born to their tribe once every hundred years has been broken for centuries."

"Wow, you know a lot about Hylian Lore," the Nutcracker commented, shooting what looked to be a wide, smirking grin at the seventeen-year-old. She let out a sigh before moving her attention back up to the owl on his head. "Why did they attack him? And why did he make me the size of an ant!?"

"You're more about the size of a mouse," the Nutcracker commented again, before cowering under the glare Zelda shot him. After a moment of silence the owl flew off from his head and landed on the edge of the coffee table, staring down at the pair. "He believed your Nutcracker may hold something he covets. And as for your transformation, he only did it to keep you out of his way."

"Well, how do I get back to normal?" She questioned, moving her arms to motion down her body. "I can't exactly be this tiny forever. I don't even want to be this tiny at all!" She exclaimed. The owl shifted his wing under his head, similar to how her grandfather did with his hand on his chin when he was thinking before he spoke again. "The power of the Sacred Triforce is to be great enough to undo the Tyrant King's spell. You must follow the Gerudo man underneath your couch. There, you will find a mouse hole that he used for a portal to get from Hyrule to Termina."

"Why do I have a feeling that when we get to the fabled Hyrule that it's not going to be as easy as you make it sound," Zelda muttered softly, before letting out another sigh and turning on her heels to head to the couch. "You coming, Nutcracker-guy? Or do I have to go it alone?"

"I'm a little too big to fit under there..." He trailed off, making Zelda turn around to see that he was still taller then the 'Gerudo King', and herself as well. Before she could speak the owl flew down from the coffee table to the walnut from earlier that evening, rolling it over to the green-clad man. "Crack this atop your head."

"O...kay," He hesitated, grabbing the walnut from the floor before tapping it against his skull softly. After a few tabs he hit harder, smashing it open on his head. A few swirls of light sprung out and fell all over his body, before he began to shrink a few inches. After a while, he was only a few inches - centimeters? millimeters? - taller than Zelda, and he looked to her with another ear-splitting grin.

"There we are. Now we're good to go, princess!" He boasted, crossing his arms over his chest in a triumphant manner.

"Wait," the owl interrupted, bringing the pair's attention back up to him. "You will need weapons, for the Gerudo King surely has cast monsters into the once peaceful land. Once you head into the land of Hyrule, make your way to the Kokiri Forest. There, I request you look for a young girl named Saria. She can help you further."

"Thank you for the help, we'll definitely look her up once we're there." Zelda replied, to which the owl nodded before flapping his wings and heading back up to the tree. After watching land where he had once been hanging in his inanimate state, she and the Nutcracker made their way over to the couch. Walking behind it there immediately saw the mouse hole - I mean come on, when you're an evil, magic-wielding guy who uses a simple mouse hole for a portal, you could cover your tracks by not leaving the thing glowing - and slowly walked over towards it.

"You ready, princess?" The Nutcracker commented, to which Zelda only nodded her head softly, before the Nutcracker walked into the portal. She took a step forward, then hesitated for a moment before looking back to see part of the living room of her grandfather's house. She was curious as to how long this would take, and if her brother and grandfather would wake before she returned and discovered she had gone. Swallowing her curiosities, she turned back to the mouse hole and jogged her way up to it, heading into the glowing portal.

* * *

**A/N: Well... that's it.**

**Hawk: ... I thought the word count you had here before was good...**

**… Then let's put it back!**

**… Do you by chance remember what that was?**

**Hawk: No. I'll count, you finish.**

**Allrighty. Well, We hope you like this, and all of the ideas we put into it. Just so you know ahead of time, this story is going to mostly just be the adventure of Ocarina of Time, but with Link as an adult, while also being a Nutcracker, and Zelda adventuring with him. There'll be a few changes here and there in attempts at making it more story-like, as well as more interesting, and a few other ideas I think are pretty cool.**

**Hawk: Word Count = 5,059**

**There we go! Wow, that's the longest beginning chapter I've ever done...**

**Hawk: Longer than some of my multi-chapters...**

**I hope the others stay long too. Even though we've already finished chapters two and three. SO MY LOVES, read, review, and all that fun stuff. But mostly read and review. I like more than just two peoples' opinions on this. And those two people have been Hawk and Anon. Beta, who is not here today.**

**Hawk: Which is nothing new, really...**

**We should go find him or her. Oh, and we should go back to our rewrites, and your Super Larxene Day. So on that note... TIME TO GO! -uses Farore's Wind to teleport away somewhere all magically-**

**Hawk: ... See you next time...**


	2. Through the Mouse Hole

**A/N: Hi again!**

**I haven't slept yet... so I've decided to come and post chapter two. It's been almost a month, so it seems like a good time to publish it. Hawk unfortunately isn't here right now; I think he's sleeping or at school...**

**But anyway, I wanted to post something. And I've got no ideas for anything else... So this is the next thing since it's been finished. I probably won't post chapter three until after chapter four, five, six, and probably seven are finished. And later I might see if Hawk wants to help me finish chapter four. He got Ocarina of Time for the 3DS for Christmas so the details are still fresh to him. And Chapter Four is the first dungeon so... Yeah.**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Disclaimer: We do not own the gaming franchise 'The Legend of Zelda'. We also do not own the story of 'The Nutcracker and The Mouse King'. We do own our original ideas, the layout of the plot, and anything else unrecognizable. All recognizable material belonging to a third-party source belongs to it's rightful owners.**

* * *

**▲Δ - Act I - Δ▲**

_.; oo2 - Through the Mouse Hole - oo2 ;._

* * *

After having stepped through the mouse hole, Zelda found herself flying through an assortment of colors and distortions. All around her she could see images of different areas, bulbs that looked to be someone's memories, and different clips of what looked to be different parts of a Castle. They further they were pulled, the more breaks and shifts in the kaleidoscopic portal occurred, until the pair had eventually gone through what felt like a barrier to Zelda before she found herself sitting in the grass.

"What is this place? It looks like a cave," the young blonde commented, rising to her feet as her head craned around to take in the landscape - or what she could see of it. There were a few trees, and all sources of sunlight were gone. Further ahead of them there seemed to be an opening of some sort, where there was a little more light coming in. The Nutcracker put his hand to his chin and made a 'hmm' of thought, his gaze shifting around the space just as Zelda's had done.

"It looks like this leads to the Impasse," He responded, motioning Zelda over to him. "Stay behind me, there may be monsters out there."

"What's 'the Impasse'? Is it another type of portal?" She questioned, moving so that she was standing a few inches away from the Nutcracker. He didn't answer, instead choosing to grab one of the sticks from the ground of the cave before walking forward. Zelda let out a soft sigh before tucking a piece of her hair behind a pointed ear and following him through the thicket of trees.

"By the way," she started again, ducking underneath an extended tree branch, "do you have a name I can call you besides 'Nutcracker'?"

This caused him to stop and turn around on his heels to stare down at the shorter girl. He let out a 'hmm' of thought as he donned a thinking pose, staring off into space while Zelda stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Can't remember it."

A tense silence filled the air as Zelda glared up at the blonde Nutcracker. He stared back down at her with a dopey smile, rubbing the back of his neck lightly as she hardened her glare. They continued this exchange for a few more minutes, until a shrill 'kree' sound echoed into the 'cave', drawing the pair's eyes to the entrance.

"What was that?" Zelda questioned, moving closer to the Nutcracker as he brandished the stick he had picked up earlier, ready for attack.

"Stay behind me," he ordered, to which she merely nodded and moved closer behind his wooden frame. Slowly, they began advancing towards the end of the cavern, the Nutcracker's gaze shifting in every direction every so often in case something were to jump out at he and Zelda. Coming up to the exit they heard another 'kree' which caused the Nutcracker's gaze to harden before running through the trees. Zelda followed behind him quickly, the pair finding themselves in a dark, opened field that seemed to be hidden in a forest somewhere.

_'KREE!'_

"Get down!" Zelda turned just in time to be tackled into the grass by the Nutcracker as a swarm of bat-looking creatures missed her head.

"... Are those Keese?" She questioned, sitting up when the Nutcracker got off from on top of her. He nodded as reply before scanning the area of tall grass they were currently hiding in. "See if there are any rocks we can use as ammunition if they come back."

Nodding, she got down on her hands and knees and began weeding through the grass, slowly running her fingers over the ground in search of rocks. The Nutcracker was out away from the grass, looking around by a few of the trees that were near in search of rocks as well. The Keese made a few sounds from higher up in the trees somewhere as the pair continued looking, prompting Zelda to scurry further into the grass.

Where her hand didn't meet the earth, and she toppled forwards into a hole in the ground.

* * *

"AhHH!"

Zelda clasped her hands over her mouth to try and top her screams as she fell down the hole, waiting for the impact of the ground to probably break her leg. Or maybe an arm.

"..." She slowly opened one eye once she felt that she had slowed, then stopped, before opening the other and taking in the room around her. It seemed she was in a tunnel of light coming from the surface, with a hexagonal platform underneath her that had a glow around it's rim. Stretching her leg down, her toes pressed against the cool stone before she moved the other leg so that she was standing on top of it.

"This feels... weird," She commented to herself, walking off of the platform just as a low sound began filling the room.

"... aaAAHH!"

Zelda turned around and was met with the sight of the Nutcracker falling from where she had, before he began to slow, and then eventually stop. He immediately stretched his legs down to land on the platform she had been over previous, before walking over to her. "It's a gravity spell of sorts," He replied to the unasked question, causing the girl to nod her head apprehensively before turning back to face the other side of the room.

"Where are we?"

"A hidden Fairy's Fountain," He responded smoothly, taking the lead by walking down the tunnel-like stretch of tile, before coming to a more opened area. Zelda stared in awe at the fountain in front of her and the Nutcracker, her violet gaze shifting to glance at every single one of the green balls of light floating above the water.

'_Welcome, adventurers._' A soft, kind of echoing sound came, which Zelda only assumed were the voices of the fairies talking collectively. The Nutcracker stepped aside and allowed her to walk further to the fountain, her eyes never leaving the glowing orbs that flew around with pixie-sized wings coming from their bodies.

"Wow..." She breathed out softly, slowly stepping into the waters of the fountain while reaching her arms out. Opening her palms up brought one of the fairies to fly into her hands, where it slowly flew around before they began to speak once more.

'_Return to the outside path, and continue onward._' They spoke gently, more of the fairies coming around to fly nearer to Zelda. '_You will come to a cave, which shall lead you to a drop. Here is where you must continue on in order to enter Hyrule._'

"Then what?" She questioned, looking over to the Nutcracker before back down to the fairy in her hands.

'_A door will lead you into the Lost Woods, where you must find your way to the Kokiri Forest, where the owl has instructed you meet with the forest girl, Saria._'

"Alright," she replied softly, her eyes widening as the fairies flew away from her and began to form a spiral in the center of the fountain. With a flash of green light, they began to descend into the fountain itself, leaving behind the soft sound of giggling before Zelda and the Nutcracker were once again alone. Letting out a sigh, the blonde turned around to look at the Nutcracker, who had taken up a pose of leaning against one of the fountain's posts with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Ready?"

"Of course, love." He smiled before shifting back into a standing position and leading the way back out of the fountain. Zelda followed behind quickly, an eyebrow raising as she saw the Nutcracker climb onto the hexagonal platform. She opened her mouth to question how he planned to get back to the surface from that before both brows raised as he began to float up the tunnel of sunlight.

"Gravity magic! Remember, princess?" She let out a sigh at the sound of his retreating voice before climbing up onto the platform herself, and not too long after she was following the Nutcracker back out of the hole in the ground.

* * *

She found herself flying out of the hole slowly, and coming to a safe stop a few feet away from where the hole was. Letting out a sound before turning around, she found the Nutcracker outside of the tall grass with a wide smile on his wooden face as he watched her.

"Let's head off," He started, to which Zelda responded with a soft sound of agreement. Stepping out of the grass she made her way over to him before the pair began walking down an eroded path in the forest floor. The Nutcracker had his stick ready, and used it a few times when some Deku Babas rose from the ground to try and attack the pair.

"I really need a sword," He whined after whacking another Baba dead, sighing as he took a seat on a log to rest for a few minutes. Zelda had been gathering rocks the entire time they had walked, using them a few times at the Keese that flew down at them, as well as knocking some Babas out. She wandered further down the path where it began to turn, grabbing a few of the small rocks there before looking up.

"Uh... you better come see this," She called out, causing the Nutcracker to dawn a look of confusion as he rose to his feet and made his way over. Both he and Zelda were now staring at what appeared to be a large, rock wall.

With a haunting face adorning it, where it looked to be a cave was the mouth.

"Please don't tell me that's where we have to go..." Zelda deadpanned, staring with an annoyed expression at the rock wall. The Nutcracker let out a sigh before placing a large hand on the girl's shoulder and turning to look at her face.

"I won't, but this is the end of this part of the forest, so..."

"Let's just get it over with," she sighed, rising to her feet and walking over to the cave. He let out a soft chuckle before following her, stopping next to her outside of the cave. They looked between each other for a few moments before looking back forwards, and quickly began to walk inside. There was barely any light inside of the cave, and as the pair advanced further the light began to diminish slowly.

"I can barely see the ground," Zelda whispered, moving closer to the Nutcracker as they continued forward. He was about to reply but the ground gave way underneath them and they began to fall down off of a dark cliff.

"Not again!" Zelda called out, grabbing onto the Nutcracker's arm to pull herself into his wooden body. He hooked his arms around her tightly as they fell, and shouted loudly, before they eventually landed on top of some large, pink flower.

"... At least we didn't die," He mused, climbing up to his feet before reaching a hand down to help Zelda up. She shot him a glare before dusting off her pants and looking forward at the large, redwood door a few feet ahead of them. Walking forward, she placed a hand against it and began running her fingers down the worn-down wood, before looking back over to the Nutcracker.

"How do we open it?" She questioned, turning her head back to the wall as she began to feel her way along it. Before he could respond to her question her hand pushed part of the wall in, causing lines of light to run along the entire door quickly before a passage opened a few feet from her.

"... Nevermind."

The pair quickly made their way through the passage and continued walking forwards, heading down a curving path until they came to a new room. They looked down at the wooden bridge across from them before looking down at the dark chasm it was floating over, then back up to the other side of the bridge where another door was. Without wasting another few seconds, they quickly made their way across the bridge and went through the door, stopping on the other side of it to take in the next room.

"This looks... like a cemetery," Zelda commented, walking over to a long, rectangular stone that was closest to her and the Nutcracker. He nodded his head softly, walking over to another stone to inspect the writing on it.

**_Their screams will stun you._**

"... Zelda," He called out, turning away from the stone to look for the blonde teenager, finding her crouched down in front of the other stone. She raised her head and looked over to him before a light thumping sound began to echo inside of the circular room. Looking back to the door from when they had entered, they were met with the sight of charred, red flesh walking towards them, the creatures' faces flattened and leaving a screeching expression burned into their skulls.

"... I vote we run."

"I second that," He replied easily, lifting the girl over his shoulder before darting through the rest of the stoned to the other side of the room. The creatures slowly limped their way through the tombstones in the room, but the Nutcracker had already carried Zelda into the next, as well as over the bridge past there before having to stop at a barred door.

"What do we do now?!" He panicked, placing her down back onto the ground before pointing to the door with rapid hand gestures. She let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before turning on her heels to face the door. Reaching over he placed a hand against one of the bars, tracing her fingers along the cold material while the other felt along the wall next to the door. She brushed at a vine that had grown up onto the door, revealing what looked to be part of a stone, and with a curious gaze Zelda began to tear away the vines.

"I found something," she turned her head over her shoulder to tell the Nutcracker, but deadpanned when she was met with the sight of him throwing various rocks at the zombie-esque creatures that were getting closer to the room they currently occupied. With a sigh, she shifted her violet gaze back over to the stone and began to read the barely-visible words carved into it.

_**Activate the switch to unbar the passage.**_

"Well that seems easy enough," she commented to herself, rising back to her feet before turning again to face the Nutcracker. Her gaze shifted to a rock he had thrown too high, which brought the girl's attention to a diamond-shaped box on the top of the opposite wall. With a large, opened eye inside of it.

"Hey!" She called out, drawing his attention away from the ReDeads that had gotten even closer to the room, to where he was now standing on the bridge. "Aim for that switch!"

His gaze shifted up to it and he grinned, grabbing his last rock before taking aim. With a powerful thrust, he flung the rock straight to the eye, hitting the side of it which caused it to shut. The bars on the door behind Zelda then rose, which caused her to cheer happily. But that was short-lived as the Nutcracker came swooping over, lifted her back over his shoulder, and ran through the door as fast as he could.

"Not a big fan of the undead, huh?" Zelda questioned in a teasing manner, giggling when the Nutcracker responded with a grunt. After running through the next room - just to make sure they were far enough away from the ReDeads - he set her back onto the ground before leaning against a wall to catch his breath. Zelda took his resting time to explore the larger room, examining the vines and other foliage growing up the walls in certain areas. She also took care to look at the highest point of each wall, as well as behind any of the spires and crates littering the room.

"What are you doing, love?" The Nutcracker commented after a while, earning the seventeen-year-old's attention back to him before she responded. "Checking for any more switches that might be in here."

He nodded in understanding before getting up and moving to the door at the other side of the room, running his large fingers over the worn-down wood. There weren't any bars blocking it, but the door still didn't seem to want to open for some reason. He pressed his palm flat against the center of it while Zelda continued tittering around the space, looking behind everything for a switch. She yanked on a cluster of vines softly, which fell from the wall to reveal another stone tablet.

_**Shine like the sun, and the final passage will grant you access.**_

"What does this mean?" She called out, drawing the Nutcracker's attention. He jogged his way over and put his hand to his chin as he stared at the tablet and read over the words carved into it. It was silent for a few moments before an idea dawned on the young girl.

"What if it has to deal with the roof?"

Both adventurers drew their attention to the high ceiling, where indeed there was a large, dusty tarp of some kind hanging around the expanse. Zelda cheered happily at the discovery before quickly running over to a group of crates, turning her head to the Nutcracker once more. "Help me push these over to the shortest podium. I have an idea."

He raised an eyebrow at this, but still made his way over to the blonde. Slowly, the pair began to push the stack of crates across the room, until they stopped when it was pressed against the side of the shortest pillar. He was about to open his mouth and ask what Zelda's plan was, but she quickly climbed her way onto the crates before he could. She then jumped up onto the pillar, before turning back down to him.

"Move the next set of crates between this pillar and that one," she instructed, pointing to the spot between her and the higher platform. The Nutcracker saluted her with a soft chuckle before hurriedly moving to the other set of crates. He began to drag them over to the point Zelda had issued to him before, and he held them steady as she jumped on top of them. He watched as she jumped over to the next pillar, before she began to cheer excitedly and reach up to grab a hanging drape.

"... I can't reach it," she let out, looking up at the couple of inches her hand was away from the cloth. Even on her toes, she couldn't grab it, and she feared that jumping to try and reach would startle the pillar and she'd come crashing down.

"Hold on princess, I'm on my way!" The nutcracker called out, climbing up onto the first set of crates to get onto the other pillar. He quickly jumped his way across the others to get to Zelda until he was standing next to her, where he looked down at shot her a wide grin. She sighed and gently nudged his chest, giggling softly before looking up to watch as he pulled the drape down. It quickly began to fall, tugging the tarps covering the ceiling as everything slowly began to fall and land around the room. A type of skylight was revealed, which allowed more light to fill the space and the pair watches as it illuminated most of the items in the room, which then reflected the light onto the wooden door. After a few seconds, the door faded away with small tufts of smoke.

"Awesome!" Zelda called out, grinning up at the Nutcracker who grinned back down to her. He gently hopped off of the pillar afterwards, before turning and holding his arms out to catch Zelda as she dropped down. Placing her back onto the ground, the pair quickly made their way through the now opened door, which reappeared behind them as they left.

* * *

The duo continued through a few hallways, taking time to read a few of the tablets littered around in case they had any other helpful tips. Most of them had eroded away far enough that the text was unreadable, and the others had cryptic messages they couldn't make heads or tails out of. They had eventually come up to a door that let into a stone room with a long, red carpet running the center, that the entirety of the room was twisted into a spiral. A tablet at the head of the room revealed to them that this was the final stretch of the Impasse, and that they would reach the Lost Woods of Kokiri Forest on the other side shortly. Excitedly, they passed through the room quickly, leaving through the next door which lead into a dark section of some type of forest.

"I guess this is it," Zelda commented, pointing up at the large, stone doors that were opened for the pair to continue through. The Nutcracker nodded his head in agreement before looking down at her, then taking the lead forward. She followed behind closely, both passing the doors and light into a new part of the forest. They seemed to be in some type of small grove, with a long, hollow tunnel in front of them with a wooden sign next to the entrance. Zelda ran over to read it as the stone doors began to close behind them, where it sealed into a firm close that it looked to be a wall instead of a door.

_**Welcome to the Lost Woods Maze.**_

"Lost Woods Maze?" Zelda questioned, drawing the Nutcracker over as he too read the wooden sign. He let out a 'hmm' of thought before realization dawned in his eyes and he jumped back up to his feet.

"I remember now! In Kokiri Forest, there is a passage like this that leads into the Lost Woods," He began to explain, Zelda watching him intently as he continued. "Once inside there's a passage that leads the right way, while the other two lead back to Kokiri Forest. It looks like this is a reverse; we have to find the right path to lead to Kokiri instead of the other side of the Woods."

"Sounds easy enough," Zelda commented with a sigh, rising from her crouched position next to the wooden sign. The Nutcracker looked down to her with a wide grin before walking forwards into the tunnel, the seventeen-year-old not too far behind him. Entering the next area, Zelda's eyes were immediately drawn to the three identical tunnels - one to the left, one to the right, and one in front of the pair. Her pointed ears also twitched slightly as the soft, jovial melody of some kind began to play in the background.

"Which way should we go first?" She questioned, watching as the Nutcracker looked between the three tunnels with his hand on his chin in thought. After a while he scratched his head, his face having a look of uncertainty before he extended his arm and pointed at the left tunnel.

"Eenie, meenie, minie, moe..."

"Are you being serious right now!?" Zelda shouted, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the wooden man's back. He turned around and shot her an uneasy smile, gently rubbing the back of his neck before shrugging. With a sigh, Zelda moved in front of him and walked over to the first tunnel, before turning to face him once more.

"Trial and error," She commented, turning back on her heels before walking through the same tunnel. A few moments later and she was walking back into the area where she had left the Nutcracker, via the tunnel behind him they had entered through.

"So it's not the center path," He commented, looking down at the girl with a smirk. She shot him an annoyed look before walking through the right tunnel, coming out into a new area where a few bushes littered the grounds.

"It's this way!" She called behind her, waiting a few moments as he walked through the tunnel and stopped next to her.

"Nice work, love." He teased, patting Zelda on the head softly before she swatted his hands away.

"Just be sure to remember that the first turn is right," she chastised, glancing between the three new tunnels slowly. The left passage had a large rock next to it, which she would remember if it turned out to be the correct path, while the center was bare of any decoration. The right passage was surrounded with the small bushes, so the blonde decided to take that path first, assuming the foliage was a hint that further into the forest would lead that way. After a few minutes she came out into a new area, where she didn't see the Nutcracker.

"Wait a second..." She commented to herself, taking the right path again, where the Nutcracker was still standing.

"Damn," she let out a sigh before taking on the 'thinking pose', looking between the other two passages. She walked over to the left, coming into an area where a tree stump was situated in the center. The Nutcracker came in behind her a few seconds later, with a wide grin on his face.

"You're 'trial and error' method seems to be doing good, princess. You keep getting it on the second try," he mused, placing a large hand onto her shoulder. She nodded softly, walking over to the center tunnel with the Nutcracker a few feet behind her.

"Hey, do you hear that?" He commented, leaning his head closer to the tunnel. Zelda followed his stance, her Hylian ears twitching slightly at the sound.

"I've heard this before," She commented, turning to look up at her wooden companion. "When we entered the first tunnel I could hear this same melody, albeit much quieter. It must be a key in leading us through the woods..."

"Or to our ends," The Nutcracker chuckled, earning a glare from Zelda. The pair of adventurers walked through the same center path, where they came upon a new area where a log was off to one side. Sitting on top of it was a strange creature in what appeared to be straw-like clothing, playing with a flute.

"A Skull kid," The Nutcracker commented, to which the blonde nodded her head softly. Taking a step forward, she strained her ears to listen to which tunnel the forest melody was coming out the loudest, stopping in front of the passage next to the Skull Kid. It stopped fiddling with it's flute and looked up at the girl before letting out a frightened shriek of sorts and taking off into the tunnel as it shouted something incomprehensible.

"Follow him!" The nutcracker shouted, running through the tunnel the Skull Kid had gone. Zelda looked forward with furrowed brows before taking off after him, coming into another clear area where she noticed the Nutcracker retreating into a left path. Hurriedly, she began to sprint down the same tunnel, trying her best to keep up with the Nutcracker, who was most likely still chasing the Skull Kid. After another few turns, she skidded forwards into his back before falling onto the forest floor, where she looked up at him with a glare.

"What was that about?" She hissed, rising to her feet before dusting off her behind. He held out an arm to silence her, causing her to make sound of annoyance before she looked over his shoulder to find what he was looking at.

"Why is there a child in these woods?" She whispered quietly, watching as the Skull Kid was hunched over and harshly whispering something to a little boy. He had messy blonde hair that hung in his eyes and was wearing all green, with a dopey expression on his face - or what Zelda could see of his face. After awhile he nodded his head and mumbled something back to the Skull kid before turning around and running through the tunnel before them. The Skull Kid let out a cackling laugh before jumping up and disappearing, leaving Zelda and the Nutcracker standing there alone.

"I'm going to assume that path leads into the Kokiri Forest..." She sighed out, walking over to a log where she sat down, beginning to catch her breath. The Nutcracker nodded in agreement, walking over to her seat and leaning against a tree next to her. After a few minutes, she got back up to her feet and turned to the Nutcracker, watching as he regained his standing position before they both walked up to the tunnel.

"Ready, princess?" He teased, placing a large hand on her shoulder. She nodded her head softly, looking up at him for a moment before walking forwards into the tunnel, the Nutcracker following a few steps after.

* * *

**Word Count: 4,960**

* * *

**A/N: … Re-reading this I feel as if I've made them bond and grow into friends too soon.**

**… Meh, I blame the Triforce.**

**Well, I don't really know what else to put here except that for the remainder of chapter four I'll try not to make large paragraphs... ShadowHearted made a good point on that - because when I write it comes out like word vomit. So hopefully that will be fixed for that chapter, and the remaining that have yet to be written.**

**So, see you next time! I hope this was an okay chapter... Not entirely sure how fans will feel about the layout idea.**

**If you can guess what I modeled 'the Impasse' after. It's pretty easy. Hey, I should try to do that for other chapters... leave non-OoT teasers in them to please the mind and make this more fun. Even though I haven't played many other Zelda games... Maybe I should just have a few Majora's Mask references here and there in the other chapters as well. That could be fun.**

**WELL ANYWAY, I'm gonna shut up now. Bye! -flee'd-**


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